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The Philadelphia Story may be unique among American comedies in its delightful mix of elegance, wit, and romance. First produced on Broadway in 1939 and made shortly thereafter into a classic movie of undiminishing appeal, this radiant comedy centers on the proud, high-spirited Tracy Lord, daughter of a fashionable, wealthy old Philadelphia family of the 1930s, who, having escaped one unhappy marriage, is on the verge of trying again with a self-made man of business. Events intervene in the days just before the ceremony, including a wild night with a tough-minded magazine reporter. While the film version starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart is beloved by many, there have not been many chances in recent years to see Barry’s play, which is a work of great charm and vitality with perhaps surprising substance as well. The Philadelphia Story provides in fact both a glamorous view of a leading Philadelphia family of the 1930s and a revealing glimpse of attitudes quite different from those of staid Main Line Society. Clive Barnes of the New York Post has written, “there is little doubt in my mind that The
Philadelphia Story is one of the great comedies of the English-speaking theatre during the past 100 years. Its humors are natural, its wit, cultivatedly urbane, and its people real enough to love.”
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